This Weekend - Murray Bridge
Australian MX Champs 2016
www.fullnoise.com.au The fourth round of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals will be held on Sunday May 22, and Murray Bridge in South Australia.
The Riders:
With only 11 points separating Arbon from the Motul MX2 Championship lead, and a single point dividing Gibbs and Thor MX1 series points leader Dean Ferris, every race will count on Sunday, and both the locals will have even more reason to perform, with a home crowd, as well as family and friends to cheer them on.
Brett Metcalfe: “I’m really looking forward to this weekend – Murray Bridge is literally half an hour from the house that I grew up in,” he said.
“Murray Bridge generally draws one of the biggest crowds to the track throughout the whole MX Nationals series, so hopefully everyone turns out this weekend and I can put on a good show for the locals.
“This whole trip to Australia, I knew it would take me a couple of rounds to get the ball rolling but by the time we get to Murray Bridge this weekend I should be ready to fire up and can hopefully finish with a win.”
Metcalfe also shared that this weekend will be extra special, given the fact that his family and friends will also have the rare opportunity to be there in the flesh to cheer him on.
“This weekend is going to be so cool, to have my family there with me while I’m racing and to have my dad as my mechanic again is something really special,” Metcalfe shared.
“Some of my family have only ever seen me race a few times in Australia because it just doesn’t happen very often.
“It’s exciting to know that everyone is going to be cheering me on and watching and getting to experience what I do on race day.
“Whether it’s a win or a loss on the race track, it’s a win for me no matter what.”
Luke Arbon: “I’m feeling good ahead of this weekend, the season has been going well and I’m really looking forward to Murray Bridge. The last two years there I’ve finished on the podium and it’s been the turning point in my championship, so hopefully this weekend is the same and I come out on top,” he said.
“It’s always a bonus to be able to stay in your own bed and have dinner at home before a race weekend. I’m going to try and treat it as a normal night, and just relax and take advantage of the fact that home isn’t too far from the track.
“Murray Bridge always gets a big turn out of friends, family and fans, and I think especially having Brett Metcalfe racing will give people even more reason to come out and support us.”
Kirk Gibbs:
“I’m looking forward to this weekend, I don’t get to go home much these days and I only race in South Australia once a year so it’s going to be good to get back - I’m really going to enjoy it,” he said.
“It’s always cool to see so many familiar faces at Murray Bridge, and have that extra bit of support by having lots of my family and friends there. It’s going to be nice to catch up with everyone and hopefully I can put on a good show for the home crowd.
“I’ve had some good results at Murray Bridge in the past but it doesn’t necessarily give me an advantage – all of the guys are riding very well, so I’m just going to do my best and try and put myself in the best position possible.”
Todd Waters: “I’m excited to head to Murray Bridge, I’ve always rode well there so I’m keen to get back. We’ve had a good three weeks of riding so it should be another good round,” he said.
“Murray Bridge is not going to be the deep sand that we will experience at Wanneroo, but it’s definitely going to be a lot of fun. I’ve had some experience overseas riding in the softer conditions so I’m excited.
“I got a race win at Broadford which was good, but now that we’re approaching the mid-season break I really want to be pushing for some round wins, so that’s the goal this weekend.”
Luke Wilson: “It’s exciting to be heading into some softer stuff, and it’s good that Murray Bridge is first, because it’s sort of halfway between a hard pack track and sand,” he said.
“Murray Bridge seems to be one of everyone’s favourite tracks, so it should be a good weekend. We have been doing some sand riding at home and I’m feeling close to getting back to 100% after my injury too.
“I would like to finish with a top ten at Murray Bridge, but I’m sort of changing the way I look at race weekends these days - as long as I come away with a positive and we’re heading in the right direction I’ll be happy.”
The town: Murray Bridge will welcome thousands of motocross athletes, teams, and spectators to the region, for an action packed round four of the 2016 Motul MX Nationals.
With the growing and talent packed series once again returning to the town on the Murray river this Sunday May 22, local economies are set to reap the rewards - with more than half a million dollars tipped to be injected into local businesses across the weekend.
MX Nationals Series Promoter Kevin Williams today spoke about the series returning to the South Australian venue, and says he’s proud, that with the significant growth of the series, the MX Nationals is able to support local communities like Murray Bridge.
“We are very excited to be taking the series back to Murray Bridge for round four this weekend,” he said.
“In the past two years, we have noticed significant growth within the series, and as a result, local economies continue to get huge benefits out of hosting a round of our championship.
“Rural sporting events are very important to Australian communities, and with more than 100 riders, as well as their support networks all staying and spending in Murray Bridge over the weekend, we have no doubt that not only accommodation businesses will be full, but pubs, restaurants, and shops will also reap the rewards of the MX Nationals visit.
“With this year being our 20th year in operation, and with South Australia’s greatest international export Brett Metcalfe having a home round this weekend, we’re expecting some big crowds coming out to support the series.”
Murray Bridge Council Event Coordinator Mildy Raveane echoed Williams’ comments, and shared that the MX Nationals has the council’s full support for a successful round four.
“Murray Bridge is very excited to once again have the opportunity to be hosting a round of the MX Nationals,” he said.
“We have a strong motorcycle fan base in South Australia, and local businesses will certainly feel the positive impact that the visit will have when the MX Nationals arrives this week.
“There are a number of local riders who will be racing this weekend, so we encourage all sporting fans to head out to the track and throw their support behind the South Australians.
“Events like the MX Nationals assist the Murray Bridge region in being recognised as a strong destination for sport, and we are very excited for our local community to see the benefits of hosting round four of the MX Nationals this weekend.”
The MX Nationals is the second national motorcycle championship to visit the region in the past month, with the Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship also hosting two rounds of the national championship alongside the opening round of the South Australian Off-Road Championship with over 300 riders each day in late April.
Motocross News Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki’s Waters and Wilson eager to move in to softer terrain 
Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki riders Todd Waters and Luke Wilson are preparing to make their first stop on the long trip west, when the fourth round of the Motul MX Nationals is held in Murray Bridge, South Australia this weekend. The Suzuki backed team, who currently hold a podium position in the Thor MX1 Championship standings (Waters currently sits in third on 182 points) are looking forward to moving on to softer ground, and getting amongst the red dirt of Murray Bridge this Sunday. For Waters who has spent the last two years racing the MXGP overseas, the softer terrain is set to play in to his favour, and shared that with his international experience that he’ll be looking to up his game this weekend. “I’m excited to head to Murray Bridge, I’ve always rode well there so I’m keen to get back. We’ve had a good three weeks of riding so it should be another good round,” he said. “Murray Bridge is not going to be the deep sand that we will experience at Wanneroo, but it’s definitely going to be a lot of fun. I’ve had some experience overseas riding in the softer conditions so I’m excited. “I got a race win at Broadford which was good, but now that we’re approaching the mid-season break I really want to be pushing for some round wins, so that’s the goal this weekend.” Wilson, who made his comeback to racing at Broadford after being forced to sit out of round two with injury, shared that he too is looking forward to Murray Bridge, and will be aiming for a top ten finish this weekend. “It’s exciting to be heading into some softer stuff, and it’s good that Murray Bridge is first, because it’s sort of halfway between a hard pack track and sand,” he said. “Murray Bridge seems to be one of everyone’s favourite tracks, so it should be a good weekend. We have been doing some sand riding at home and I’m feeling close to getting back to 100% after my injury too. “I would like to finish with a top ten at Murray Bridge, but I’m sort of changing the way I look at race weekends these days - as long as I come away with a positive and we’re heading in the right direction I’ll be happy.” |
